'Gung-ho' SAS are banned from RAF helicopters

RAF pilots pushed Pumas to the limits to cope with demands made by SAS commanders, causing fatal crashes, says inquiry

The SAS has been banned from travelling in the RAF's Puma transport helicopters after an inquiry blamed their daredevil approach for two crashes and the deaths of four servicemen in Iraq.

RAF pilots frequently pushed their aircraft to the limits in an attempt to cope with demands made by SAS commanders.

They flew so close to the ground - even when the situation did not require it - that there would have been no time to make corrections had a fault occurred.

According to the inquiry, nobody in the RAF has felt confident enough to oppose the demands of the SAS men for high-risk manoeuvres.

The two Iraq crashes were among a total of eight between April 2000 and November 2007 involving the RAF's Pumas, its oldest model of helicopter, introduced in 1971. A total of 10 servicemen were killed, with human error blamed in all cases.